Destroying rain forest

Arid forest land near HCM City faces high fire danger (16-02-2008)
A forest fire burns in Dac Krong Commune in Gia Lai Province. Lack of rain is threatening more than 36,000ha of forested land outside HCM City with catching fire. — VNA/VNS Photo Sy Huynh
HCM CITY — More than 36,000ha of forested land outside HCM City is in danger of catching fire because of a lack of rain. Forested land in outlying districts 9, Can Gio, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon have caught fire in previous years, with 10 blazes occuring last year that destroyed a total of 64ha of forest. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said six of the fires occurred in Binh Chanh District, destroying six ha, and three others flattened 55ha of forest in Cu Chi District. Another fire claimed three ha in Hoc Mon District. According to the Forestry Department, fires were caused by Vietnamese and tourists camping in forested areas. Local residents who burn beehives in cajuput trees to collect … [Read more...] about Arid forest land near HCM City faces high fire danger

HA NOI — Many people understand that Viet Nam's coral reefs are a precious natural resource, yet few are aware that in approximately 20 years the reefs may be ruined by human exploitation, according to Dr Nguyen Huy Yet of the Viet Nam National Museum of Nature. These "tropical rain forests of the sea" are home to a variety of fish and other saltwater creatures and have been known to cure a myriad of different diseases. However, according to a recent survey carried out by the Viet Nam Institute of Oceanography, the coral reefs now might be facing their biggest-threat to date. People continue to trespass into nature preserve areas like Hon Mun (Khanh Hoa), Cat Ba (Hai Phong), Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), Con Co Island (Quang Tri), ChamIsland (Quang Nam) and Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh) to steal pieces of coral. They then use the coral to make handicrafts to sell to tourists and merchants in HCMCity. The situation is most alarming in Van Ninh sea (Khanh Hoa) where hundreds of people are … [Read more...] about Ignorance destroys coral reefs

Illegal gold diggers have descended upon a central Vietnamese province in hordes following rumors gold had been found there, leading to the devastation of a forest.
Thanh Nien visited Binh Dinh province and heard rumors that some locals had become rich after finding gold at the source of the Hon Lap Lake in Vinh Thinh commune's M2 village. … [Read more...] about Illegal gold mining destroys Vietnam forest

Flash floods in just one county in central China killed 78 people and left at least 18 missing, state media said on Saturday, as hundreds of firemen struggled to control forest fires in the north.
Lushi county, in the west of the province of Henan, was hit by continuous torrential rain last week. Xinhua news agency said it triggered flash floods and disrupted transport, power, communications and other facilities in 10 townships.
A resident pushes her motorcycle through a flooded street in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan province … [Read more...] about China suffers floods, drought and now forest fires